Arrests by DUI task force increase in 2002

The Broward Sheriff’s Office’s DUI (Driving Under the Influence) Task Force succeeded in taking more impaired drivers off county roads in 2002, according to an early review of last year’s statistics.,The task force made 1,675 DUI arrests in 2002, representing a 7% increase over 2001. Also in 2002, the task force wrote 4,122 traffic citations and assisted in the processing of 3,793 DUI arrests countywide.,The Broward Sheriff's Office DUI Task Force enforces Florida DUI laws with traffic checkpoints and saturation patrols. Each member of the task force is specifically trained to detect, investigate, and apprehend impaired drivers. BSO’s use of certified Breath Alcohol Testing technicians and videotape evidence of DUI stops assists in the successful prosecution of drunk drivers.,In Broward County, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, nearly 16% of fatal crashes in 2000 were alcohol-related. In 2001, the percentage jumped to 26% with 52 of 199 fatalities connected to drinking and driving.,In Florida, according to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, 2,463 people died in 1991 on the state’s roads. Of those, half were alcohol-related. And while the number of alcohol-related traffic deaths in Florida dropped to 42% in 2001, the total number of people killed in crashes rose to 3,011.

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